The US Senate has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which may have significant consequences for DJI, the world’s largest drone company. The bill does not contain provisions that would immediately ban DJI products from entering the US market, but it instead sets off a one-year countdown until such a ban is triggered.
If DJI cannot convince an “appropriate national security agency” to declare its products do not pose a risk to US national security, the FCC will add them to its “covered list,” which would bar their use on US networks and prevent internal radios from being authorized for use in the country. This means that even existing DJI gadgets would be technically banned.
The bill also instructs the FCC to add any subsidiary or affiliate of DJI to the covered list, as well as entities with which DJI has technology-sharing agreements. The law explicitly states that this is to prevent companies like DJI from exploiting loopholes in their products.
Despite the fact that the bill passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support, it’s unclear whether President Biden will sign it. If not, a partial government shutdown would occur. As the Trump administration takes office, it remains to be seen whether they will intervene on behalf of DJI or allow the company to face increased scrutiny in the US market.
DJI has already been facing increased scrutiny over its products, which have seen surprise import restrictions and lawsuits from the US Department of Defense. The company is now calling for Congress to pick a “technically focused agency” to assess whether its products pose a risk and give it an opportunity to reply.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/18/24324702/dji-drone-ban-ndaa-trump